Old Man Winter Smiles on the Sierra

Snow levels above normal this year

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California's wet winter has left an above-average snowpack in the Sierra Nevada, boosting prospects for additional water deliveries to cities and farms.

At the same time, the California Department of Water Resources cautions that the winter rain and snow is not enough to fully offset three previous years of drought. But with the help of days of rain at the beginning of 2010, the Bay Area region is now listed as abnormally dry -- the last stage in climbing out of the drought designation.

Olympic Wipeouts

The average water content contained in the Sierra snowpack is 107 percent of normal, according to Wednesday's snow survey, the third of the winter. Last year at this time, the water content was 80 percent of normal.